


Limbo

by Nyrandrea



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Feels, Gen, life and death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-08 07:51:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13453743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyrandrea/pseuds/Nyrandrea
Summary: It had been two years since Miguel's adventure in the Land of the Dead, and life couldn't be better. His family has accepted music into the household and he can now achieve his life-long dream of becoming a musician and make his family (both alive and dead) proud.But as Día de los Muertos approaches once again and he prepares for the annual music competition, a tragedy strikes, and he finds himself in a dark, and very dangerous place.





	1. Life

**Author's Note:**

> Small note and probably apology as I've attempted to write some snippets of Spanish and have only had Google as my translator, so I'm terribly sorry if anything's been butchered at all.
> 
> Enjoy~

It was hard to believe that it had been two whole years since that short but life changing escapade in the Land of the Dead.

Miguel let out a short breath as he reminisced in the memory of it; the vast and never-ending expanse of the cityscape, the bursting bright colors of the mystical alebrijes, the bustling streets of the residents, the air filled with the rattling of bones.

And of course, he couldn't forget meeting his ancestors. The deceased members of his ever-expanding family.

Although funnily enough, even if they  _were_  dead, they certainly hadn't lost that energy that the Rivera family was practically made of. Every member he had met had this sort of...quirk about them, something that made them special, but every single one of them shared one thing, and that was their love and desire to help and protect each other unconditionally, alive or dead.

Miguel missed them all dearly, his great aunts, uncles, great grandfather Julio, his great-great grandmother Imelda...

...Hector.

The boy's expression twinged a little at the thought of the musician, who had actually turned out be his great-great grandfather. Hector had helped him a lot throughout his journey back then, without him...he wouldn't have achieved his dream, he wouldn't be where he was today...

Miguel only hoped that he had made it on time...

"Miguel!" A distanced voice called out, snapping him out of his trance, "Ven aquí, por favor, we could use a hand!"

"A-Ah..." Miguel quickly but clumsily dismounted from his bed before fumbling around for his shoes, "Coming...!" 

The boy slipped on his boots before dashing out of his room, through the house and out into the hot Mexican sun. The warmth was sudden but welcoming, as were the sights, sounds and smells of the upcoming Día de los Muertos festival. He couldn't believe it was that time of year once again, October 31st.

The Day of the Dead. 

Miguel's hometown of Santa Cecilia was painted with the blazing orange petals of the cempasúchil flowers, which were crucial for guiding the spirits of the dead to their respective ofrendas, which held offerings of bountiful food and drink for them to take back with them. The cobbled streets were also bustling with busy crowds as merchants were setting up their various stalls and the most central part of the village, the Mariachi Plaza, was getting ready for its annual music competition.

The Rivera family were busy getting their own ofrenda ready, and with the sun lowering steadily over the horizon, the time of the festival was fast approaching. Miguel glanced around as he tried to locate the voice that shouted for him, but with everybody busying about with their own tasks, he was finding it difficult to spot whoever it was.

Peeping into the shoe workshop that the family owned, he could see his papá Enrique was focused on his work, along with his uncle and a few of his cousins. None of them seemed to even notice Miguel as he lingered for a few moments, waiting for one of them to maybe notice him and give him a job to do. 

_'Guess... I should try outside again.'_ He thought after a minute or two of waiting, he didn't really want to prod his father while he was working, so the boy silently slipped back out into the courtyard and had a quick look around once again.

Spotting his mother not too far away with a few of the much younger members of the family, he decided to wander over to see if his help was needed there. Luisa had a large basket in one hand while she used the other to scatter a small trail of flower petals from the ofrenda to the other connecting flower paths that were laid out in the street.

 His two twin cousins Benny and Manny were running around her while throwing petals in all kinds of directions, as young boys would do, but they were surprisingly careful around their younger cousin and Miguel's little sister, Coco, who was named after his late great grandmother.

The little one-year old girl was practically latched to her mother's leg while she toddled around, still quite wobbly on her feet. The two boys would occasionally stop running around to check up on her and play a little more gently with her. Miguel couldn't help but smile a little at the sight, for such boisterous toddlers they could certainly be little gentlemen, but it was nice to see his sister playing, she was growing up pretty fast...

"Miguel?" A soft voice inquired. 

"Huh?" The boy blinked and looked up to his mother's concerned face.

"Are you alright, mijo?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah..." Miguel stuttered a little before giving her a small sheepish smile, "Sorry mamá, just keep spacing out, that's all."

"Hm." She gave him a skeptical look, making him cringe even more. He hated it when she made that face, which was more often than he would've liked to admit.

"I'm fine, honestly! I was just wondering if you guys needed any help?" Miguel rocked on his heels as he tried to steer the conversation away from him.

Luckily, she seemed to buy it as she turned her attention back to the children, "I've got all the little helpers I could ever need right here." She said with a smile as she ushered them on, before turning back to Miguel.

"Besides, don't you have that mu-"

" _There_  you are!"

Both Miguel and Luisa jumped a little at the loud and all too familiar voice of Abuelita, and before Luisa could finish her sentence, Miguel was quickly pulled away as his grandmother gripped onto his arm and started to practically drag him in the direction of the ofrenda.

"I've shouted on you several times, chamaco!" She scolded in a rough voice. " You can't just be standing around before Día de los Muertos when there's still so much to do. Come, you'll help me put up our ancestors photos."

Miguel didn't have much time to protest as Abuelita pulled him into the shrine before slipping back outside to get him a ladder.

_"Ah_ _well_ _..._ _gives_ _me_ _something_ _to_ _do, I_ _guess_ _."_

Though there was something about what his mamá was about to tell him that had him scratching his head, was... he supposed to be somewhere else right now?

There wasn't much time to think about it though, as his grandmother swiftly came back with a small wooden ladder in hand. The old woman roughly set it down with a small huff, causing Miguel to become a little worried.

"Mamá Abuelita...are...you alright?" He almost instantly regretted asking as she shot him a daggered glare.

Though it quickly softened as she caught her breath, "Of course, mijo. Just not as young as I used to be, eh?" She said with a light chuckle.

"Now enough chit chat! Here, you step up there and I'll hand you the photos. Go on!" She said while ushering up the small steps. Miguel frowned slightly but said nothing more about it, and simply complied as she handed him up the photo frames of their deceased family, one by one.

"Now, here we are. The last three." She paused for a moment as she held what Miguel presumed to be Coco's photograph, Abuelita's recently deceased mother, and his great grandmother. Her somber expression twisted into a pained smile as she gave the photo a small kiss, before reaching up to give it to Miguel, who also stopped to give it a look.

The past year had flown in so quickly that the strangeness of her being gone now was still fresh in his mind, it was just so...surreal. Her wheelchair still sat inside the house as Abuelita didn't want to throw it out just yet and urged the family just to keep it there a little while longer, they never argued against her, hence why it still sat there, a year later.

He just hoped that Coco finally got to see her papá again.

As if on cue, Miguel was handed the final photo that was to go at the very top of the alter. He struggled a little to reach the top, having to resort going on the tip of his toes just to be able to stretch far enough, thankfully he just about managed.

"See? This is why gotta eat more, muchacho." His grandmother scolded gently. "You'll grow quicker." 

Miguel wasn't entirely sure that was how growing up worked but said nothing, it was never a good idea to argue with her.

"Now, you stay right there. I'm just going to nip to the kitchen to see if the tamales are ready." This seemed to put a spring in her step as she exited the ofrenda with a giddy look on her face, "Ooh the ancestors are in for a treat tonight!"

Miguel couldn't help but playfully roll his eyes a little before directing his attention back to the top of the shrine. 

The picture that sat there showed his mamá Imelda, mamá Coco when she was still just an infant and his papá Hector, who's portion of the photo had been ripped off for...several reasons. Miguel smiled at the hastily sewn attempt at connecting Hector's head to the rest of his body, it looked a little...rough, but at least he was back up on the ofrenda with the rest of the family again, where he belonged.

The boy's smile wavered ever so slightly.

It was sometimes torture, not knowing if Hector was still...well...'alive', or if he had disappeared for good, the 'Final Death', as he had called it. There was no real way to know until Miguel passed away himself, and that wasn't going to be for a long time yet.

A young woman's voice suddenly caught his attention, along with a crowd of people who seemed to have stopped at a nearby building. Popping his head out, he noticed that it was a group of tourists, probably there to see the memorial that held Hector's song sheets in various display frames. It was nice to see that the credit was finally going to its rightful owner instead of that awful Ernesto de la Cruz.

Miguel shuddered slightly, he couldn't believe he actually used to look up to that whack job.

But thankfully at least Hector wasn't going to be forgotten any time soon.

_'Hopefully...'_

"Miguel..."

A gentle hand placed itself onto his skinny shoulder before shaking him softly.

"Mijo, you've been spacing out an awful lot today, are you sick?" His mother asked, putting her hand on Miguel's head to feel for his temperature, "You're sweating a little..."

"I'm fine, honestly mamá, you worry too much."

"That's my job, Miguel."

He didn't have a good comeback for that, so he simply put on the biggest grin he could muster, "See? I'm totally A-Ok!" 

Once again, she gave him 'the face', but quickly changed the subject to something else.

"Well, if you're 'A-ok' then shouldn't you be heading to the Mariachi Plaza by now?" She asked.

"Huh?" Miguel raised an eyebrow, he didn't remember planning to go there.

"For...the music festival to celebrate Día de los Muertos? Or did you forget  _again_?" It was more of a statement than a question as his mother crossed her arms and gave him a semi-playful smirk.

Miguel instantly felt his heart drop in both panic and sheer embarrassment. How could he have forgot about something as important as the music competition?! If he didn't go now, he was going to miss his slot!

"I-I gotta go!" He quickly stopped himself to give his mother a quick peck on the cheek before running out of the ofrenda and to the house to grab his guitar. As he did, he nearly bumped into his grandmother, who was coming back with a steaming hot tray of tamalas.

"Hey, watch yourself chamaco! And where do you think you're going? We still have to-"

"Sorry!" Miguel hastily apologized, "But I gotta go get my guitar, the music competition's starting soon! Please?" He knew he was trying his luck with her as she still wasn't fully convinced on bringing music entirely back into the household, even if it  _had_  helped Coco.

Abuelita frowned slightly and looked as though she wanted to protest, but forcing a smile, she said, "Fine. Good luck cariño, but you come home straight after, you hear me? Tonight _is_  about family after all." 

Miguel blinked in surprise for a moment as he tried to process what she just said, before smiling and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, mamá Abuelita. I'll come home straight after, I promise!" With that, he sprinted into the house, his grandmother smiling somberly after him.

"I know it's hard, but this is a good thing for Miguel." Luisa said as she placed a comforting hand on Abuelita's shoulder, "You have my thanks as well."

The old woman smiled again, this time more genuinely, "I only want what's best for my grandchildren, and if he loves music so much...then so be it. I only hope he doesn't forget about his family..."

"He's a good boy." Luisa said reassuringly, "He won't forget."

"Hm. Now come! Bring Coco and the boys over, they can help with the food!" 

"Are...you sure that's a good idea, mamá?" Luisa asked with a look of concern.

"Of course! Every member of this family must pull their weight around here, no matter how young. Plus...I'm sure the ancestors won't mind if they have a little tamala or two, eh?" She grinned as carried the tray into the ofrenda, Luisa smiled a little in amusement.

"Of course..."

XXX

It was so...weird.

Miguel still had a hard time believing how his family had just...accepted and even embraced his love and passion for music (with the exception of Abuelita who was still slowly getting there). Of course, they still had the shoe business to run and were not going to give up that tradition any time soon, but Miguel was completely fine with that and still did his bit around the workshop to help out.

But now...now he could fully commit to his dream of being what he always wanted to be; a musician.

Some of his siblings had even taken a page out of his book and took up a few instruments of their own to learn. His cousin Rosa had taken a liking to the violin while Abel, more to his surprise, had started to play the accordion.

It was weird, but it was great. Life...just honestly couldn't be better right now.

_'Or maybe it can be if I hurry it up for the competition!'_  He reminded himself with a small grin.

With that reminder, Miguel grabbed his guitar and polished it off a little before running his hand over its fine wooden grain, smiling slightly with a sigh as he did. He really hoped his ancestors would be watching him tonight, he really wanted to make them proud.

Just thinking about them being in the crowd, cheering for him made him so giddy and pumped up. He just couldn't wait any longer!

Shoving on a small black hoodie, he ran out of the room with his guitar in hand. As he exited the house, he made a beeline for the gates, it wasn't long now...

"Miguel, hold on one moment there, mister!" 

That was unmistakably Abuelita's voice again, and she didn't sound happy. Miguel felt his heart drop, she hadn't changed her mind, had she?

The boy turned around and gave her a sheepish grin while he instinctively pulled his guitar behind his back, "S-Sí...?"

The elderly woman stormed right up to him before giving him a very disapproving glare. Miguel swallowed.

"You can't go out looking like that, mijo! Come here, at least let me fix up your hair..."

Miguel blinked as she reached up and tentatively ruffled up his ebony hair before smoothing it out. Taking a step back, she admired her work. 

"There! Magnífico!" She exclaimed. To say Miguel looked a tad ridiculous was a bit of an understatement, but nevertheless, he was grateful that was all she wanted. Rosa and Abel sniggered from afar before instantly shutting up as Miguel shot them both a glare.

"Gracias, mamá Abuelita." He said with a more softened expression.

"Ohh...you go knock 'em dead, chamaco." His grandmother replied with adoration before smothering him with multiple kisses, which was something that Miguel was accustomed to at this point.

"But you come home straight after!" She demanded in a much sterner tone. "Because...?" She motioned for him to finish.

"...Tonight is about family, I know, I promise I won't be late." Miguel said in the most reassuring voice he could muster.

"And be cautious, Miguel." His father warned as he walked up to him with an arm around Luisa, "The town can be a crazy place at night, so you watch yourself out there." 

"And don't go anywhere else. Straight to the plaza and straight back, understand?" His mother added.

"Guys, I'll be fine. I totally promise. Can I  _please_  go now?" Miguel appreciated his family's concern, but he was really itching to go. If he didn't leave now, he was going to miss his slot for sure.

Enrique glanced at his wife before sighing slightly with a smile, "Of course, mijo. Good luck out there." 

"We'll be cheering for you." Luisa gave her son a small kiss on his ruffled-up head.

"And so will your ancestors, never forget that." Abuelita nodded, "Now go on! You're going to be late!"

Miguel beamed at them with pride before running off down the cobbled pathway that lead to the Mariachi Plaza, the supportive shouts of his family echoing throughout behind him, urging him on.

As he got closer to the village center, the streets became more and more densely packed with people, from merchants to musicians to families who were just making their way to Pantéon Santa Cecilia, the local cemetery, and the busiest spot during this occasion.

As the crowds got bigger, Miguel had to gradually slow down until he literally had to start weaving his way through the masses, he could feel himself start to panic a bit. If he didn't get to the plaza now, there was no way he was going to make it in time.

Luckily, he managed to find an opening spot through the bundle of bodies, and didn't hesitate to push his way through until he managed to get free and into a more spacious area. Taking a moment to breathe, he noticed that the plaza was now in sight, resulting in a sigh of relief from the tween. It looked as though the folk running the competition were still preparing and taking names. 

_'Looks like I panicked for nothing then...'_  Miguel sheepishly thought. Ah well, better to be safe than sorry.

Taking a moment to make sure he was fully prepared and ready, he walked forward with a confident posture and guitar in hand.

"Mamá!" 

Miguel immediately stopped in his tracks at the sound of the voice, and looked around for the source. It sounded young and... almost terrified.

"Maaamáaa...!" The voice called out again, this time ending off with a choked sob. Miguel squinted as he tried to spot the child through the floods of citizens, but he couldn't see anything at all.

Glancing to the plaza, he could see that preparations seemed to nearly be complete, if he didn't go now...

_'What am I even thinking?!'_  Miguel mentally scolded himself.  _'Competition or no competition, there's no way I can leave a kid out_ _there_ _by_ _themselves...'_  He was almost ashamed that he even had to think about it, but decided to put that on the back burner for now. Self-reprimanding would have to come later.

"Chamaco...?" Miguel tried as he scouted along the thin streets that circled the plaza, "Where are you?"

Surprisingly enough, it actually didn't take that long until he found what looked like a toddler wandering along the road on his own. The boy had tears streaming down his reddened cheeks as he looked around confusedly at anyone that passed him by and continued to shout for his mother.

Miguel frowned sadly as he watched the sorry sight, poor kid must have accidentally lost her, but it looked as though nobody seemed to bother stopping by to help him, probably due to the excitement and buzz of the festival.

 Miguel's frow burrowed in both frustration and concern, it wouldn't have killed the adults to at least try and help the little kid, looks like it was up to him instead.

"¡H-Hola chamaco..." The toddler instantly spun around and looked up to Miguel before backing off into the road, fresh tears and snot running down his slightly chubby face, the sight made Miguel's heart sink. Hopefully the kid's mother was around somewhere, but he needed to get him off the road first and onto the pavement where it was at least a little bit safer.

"Hey kid, it's alright. I ain't gonna hurt you." Miguel's soft tone and slow approach seemed to work, as the child stopped and timidly shuffled on the spot.

"Have you lost your mamá?" He internally kicked himself for asking such an obvious question. "Why don'tcha come over here a-and I'll help you find her, eh?" 

The little boy seemed unsure, and rightfully so. After all, Miguel was a complete stranger. But the young musician wasn't going to give up, so he lowered himself to the ground and held his hand out, palm up; the universal sign of trust. It was a long shot, but he forced himself to be patient, and smiled.

"You're ok, amigo. Just come on over here, your mamá should be around somewhere. I'll help-"

Before he could finish, the loud rumble of an engine caught his attention, his head swiveled in the direction it was coming from, a sense of dread washing over him like a wave. A pick-up truck filled with cempasúchi flowers had pulled into the street and was heading for the cemetery.

Straight towards the little boy.

"C-chamaco...!" Miguel's voice was shaky as he got up from his sitting position, his widened eyes still trained on the small truck as it started to pick up speed.

"Kid, you gotta get outta the way!"

The child had no concept of what was going on and started to cry again at Miguel's raised voice, leaving him no choice.

He couldn't even stop himself if he tried, his instincts kicked in  _hard,_ and before he could even react, his legs propelled him forward without a moment of hesitation. After that, everything was a blur.

His outstretched hand connected with the little boy and, with just enough force, managed to push him out of the truck's path and into the safety of the pavement.

There was a screech of a tire, someone shouting, but he couldn't see a thing. His vision was completely gone. He couldn't even feel anything. Just numb. Was he even on the ground anymore? 

The last thing that echoed in his head was the jarring, out of tune bang of a guitar smashing into the ground.


	2. Death?

Miguel knew he should have felt...something.

Pain, broken bones, his organs desperately trying to keep his body alive, just.... something.

But he felt nothing at all.

Was he supposed to be dead? He certainly didn't feel it. Besides, he was only 14, and he had things to do, songs to learn, school to go to, and a family waiting for him. He couldn't just...die yet.

The boy almost jumped when a cold, wet sensation started to spread over his face, it was solid and pointed, and it seemed to be...sniffing him. It started to nudge his cheek, as if it was silently asking for him to wake up. Miguel was reluctant to though, in fear of what he was going to be met with and more importantly, where he was going to be.

But alas, he couldn't avoid the inevitable forever.

With that in mind, his eyes cracked open and he winced slightly as he was met with the slightly spaced out but excitable eyes of a familiar dog in  _very_ close proximity.

"D-Dante...?" Miguel barely managed to croak out in a small voice.

The Xolo barked in response before proceeding to lick Miguel's face, covering the tween's face with slobber. The boy pushed him off playfully while using him as a support frame to try and sit up, to which the canine patiently obliged.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, boy..." Miguel cooed gently as he scratched behind the dog's ears. 

Especially at a time like this. Despite Dante's less than intelligent look and demeanor, it was actually him that had guided Miguel throughout his journey in the Land of the Dead, and to his family, including Hector, and even ultimately became Miguel's Alibrije, his spirit guide.

It had been a while since he had seen his canine companion, so why was he here now?

_'Maybe I really am dead.'_ Miguel thought with a frown. Was Dante here to take him back to the Land of the Dead? And if so, why didn't he just wake up there?

The swirling vortex of questions that plagued his mind were starting to give him a headache, so he decided to finally try and stand up and get his bearings, find out where he actually was first.

As his eyes adjusted to his environment, he found that he was...in the exact same street as before.

He hadn't moved at all.

Everything actually seemed pretty...normal. Miguel found that he was standing alright, his limbs were still intact and he felt totally fine. The only thing that was absent was his guitar.

_'Guess...it was all just a dream then. But wait...the kid!'_

Miguel wasn't even sure if the toddler was real at this point but looked around anyway, the first thing he noticed was his missing instrument lying on the ground a few yards away, or rather, what was left of it. Smashed up into splinters of wood, it was absolutely beyond repair.

The mere sight of it was enough to send a chill down Miguel's spine.

Thank God it wasn't his grandfather's prized guitar, but the fact that the first instrument he was able to call his own was now completely destroyed, it nearly broke his heart. Looks like he was just going to have to save up for a new one.

_'If I ever get the chance.'_

A shout grabbed Miguel’s attention, and he quickly spun around to see a crowd of people gathering around something and a large vehicle pulling into the street, it’s white and red exterior almost blinding to look at. It…it looked like…

No, it couldn’t be.

Miguel unconsciously lifted up his hands before slowly looking down. An ethereal amber glow surrounded them.

He didn’t even bother pushing through the crowd, instead he just simply walked through them, phasing through the small group of bodies until he reached the front. The notion made him dizzy and nauseous, even after having done it once before (by accident), it was something he was probably never going to get used to.

It was something he shouldn’t  _have_  to get used to.

However sick it made him though, it was nothing compared to what he felt when he looked down at what everyone was making a commotion about. 

There was his body, just…lying there. Deathly still. His eyes were closed and his face was bruised badly. A crimson splotch soaked into the white of his vest top, his left arm bent at an unnatural angle. Miguel desperately wanted to just vomit.

There was one thing missing though, the kid he saved. Was…was he even saved? Miguel did remember managing to push him but…Oh God, he hoped the kid at least made it. 

_‘Please let him be alright, please let him be alright…’_  He thought over and over as he looked for the boy.

“Oh mijo… Oh thank God…. you’re alright…” A young woman’s voice sobbed, filled with both relief and sorrow.

Miguel managed to catch a glimpse of a young woman embracing a small child, the same little boy, with tears streaming down her face. He was hugging her back, clutching to her like a life-line. Miguel smiled a little at the sight.

_‘Looks like he finally found_ _his_ _mamá_ _then_ _…’_ He thought with a hint of melancholy.

But what about him?

He was thankful that the kid was safe but now he had to start worrying about his own situation. Was he even dead? His body looked as though it was. If so, why hadn’t he turned into a skeleton? Shouldn’t he have been in the Land of the Dead already? What about-

“You took quite the beating for that little chamaco.” A smooth, silky voice said from behind, making Miguel nearly jump out of his metaphorical skin.

Turning around, he saw a woman sitting on one of the nearby marigold crates that were scattered about the road, probably from the truck. She gave him a small smirk as she looked him up and down before crossing her arms.

“How admirable”

She looked like she was in her early thirties, with ebony hair in a messy bun, and wore a simple, long, muddy brown dress and a pair of sandals. But more importantly, she had the same amber aura about her, just like him.

He couldn’t help but feel that there was also something…almost off about her. Underneath her calm eyes was a look of…strain, like she was trying to restrain herself from doing something. 

Everything in him screamed to run away, yet he stayed perfectly still. A gentle nudge on the hand from Dante was his only comfort.

“Who…who are-“

“Who am I?” She sharply interrupted before stifling out a small chuckle, “That’s probably something you shouldn’t need to know.” The woman said, her tone cold and unwavering.

“Miguel.” She added with a smile.

“W-wait, how the heck do you know  _my_  name?” Miguel asked, a perplexed expression on his face. Was she another member of his dead family? He certainly didn’t recognize her. But after the revelation with Hector a few years back, nothing would have surprised him.

“You’re the boy who visited the Land of the Dead, Sí?” 

Miguel meekly nodded.

“And lived to tell the tale.” She hummed for a moment as her hazel eyes studied him, “You’re quite famous among our residents.”

Residents?

“Um…Are…Are we…d-dead?” Miguel tentatively asked. He had been desperate for an answer since he woke up, and despite how weird this lady was, she was his only solution for an answer right now.

“Oh…” Her cold look slowly turned sympathetic, almost pitying, “If we were dead, chamaco, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Miguel was utterly confused at this point, but as he opened his mouth to question further, the woman held up her hand to silence him, her attention focused to something behind him.

“Looks like they’ve arrived. A little earlier than usual this year.”

Miguel glanced over his shoulder to see what she was talking about, only for his eyes to widen in awe at one of the most beautiful sights that he thought he never would have seen again for many years to come.

Bridges of blazing orange marigolds formed in the far distance, and with them, hundreds upon hundreds of skeletons, who were beginning their crossing into the Land of the Living.

Día de los Muertos had begun.

_'Mi Familia. They could help me!'_

Without so much as a glance back at the strange lady, Miguel sprinted off towards the local cemetery that connected the flower bridges to the Land of The Dead, praying that his family would definitely cross over tonight. The familiar panting of Dante just behind him the only reassurance he had.

Of course his family would cross over. They always did.

As he slowed down to a stop in front of the arch that lead into Pantéon Santa Cecilia, he was met with the sight of hundreds of graves that tonight would serve as ofrendas for the loved ones of countless families. The shrines were lit dimly with dozens of candles and decorated with beautiful marigolds and offerings. The entire cemetery was filled to the brim with people, both alive and dead. All Miguel could see was just a sea of faces and skulls of all shapes and sizes.

How the heck was he supposed to find them...?

A graveled bark brought his attention down to Dante as the canine ran ahead and sniffed at the ground before turning back to Miguel, barking once again with more intent. It took the tween a moment before he realized that Dante was signaling for him to follow.

“Wait, you have their scent boy?” Miguel asked with a grin.

The dog didn’t give an answer, instead choosing to bound away into the crowd. Miguel's grin quickly turned into a look of panic as he hastened to catch up. Dante was far faster than him though, and the hairless hound was starting to get further and further away into the crowd, so much so that Miguel was starting to lose sight of him.

“Dante!” He called out as he kept weaving his way through the countless bodies, “Wait up!”

But it was no use, the dog had disappeared at this point. All Miguel could do was keep running and hope that he would either somehow catch up or run into his ancestors. 

_'Like finding a needle in a-'_

“Hey, watch out!”

“Huh?” Before he could get his bearings back, he felt himself pass through something before slowing to a complete stop. Miguel put a hand to his head, feeling a little nauseous, he must have passed through someone again. His eyes widened slightly.

Wait, someone had called out to him, someone else had  _seen_  him.

 Looking up, he noticed a tall, bald skeleton holding up his hands and scrunching up his face in brace for impact, only to slowly open his eyes and look around in confusion. 

Miguel blinked. Did he just…? But…how…? 

“H-hey…” The skeleton started, causing Miguel to snap his head up nervously. “Aren’t you that kid? The uh…the living boy that visited the Land of the Dead, right-“

Miguel didn’t even give the man a chance to finish and ran off with his head down. He didn’t want to answer questions. He didn’t want any of this. All he wanted was to play at that stupid music competition and have a good time at the festival. Enjoy the night with his family. 

Not…not this. 

He didn't even bother trying to weave his way through anymore, choosing instead just to run through them. The living people didn't even notice, but each skeleton that he ran through gave a yelp or a scream. He started to hear murmurings from the crowd and, despite having his head down, could feel their gazes piercing into him. But he blocked all of it out, putting all of his focus on only one task.

He eventually reached a break in the crowd, and a sense of freedom overcame him as he slowed to a stop in the open space. Dante was sitting not too far away, staring at him eagerly with his long tongue hanging out.

"Geez, thanks for waiting for me." Miguel drawled out sarcastically with a glare. Dante shook his head in reply before pointing his snout forward, as if to say, ' _Well I got us here, didn't I?'_

It was true, Dante had indeed lead him to his location, the marigold bridge stretched out before them into the far distance, the golden petals the only thing lighting up the increasing darkness of night.

Miguel squinted his eyes and focused on trying to spot his family. A few long moments passed, and he saw plenty of families, just not his.

Dante let out a gruff bark and started wagging his thin tail, he seemed focused on something.

"Do you see 'em, boy? Where...?"

The canine dashed off into the flower bridge before Miguel could finish and made a beeline for...a cat? Dante sniffed and licked at the poor feline excitedly, it in response simply rubbed up against him.

Wait...was that...Pepita?

If that was her, then...

As if on cue, a familiar group of skeletons appeared over the horizon point of the bridge, all of them happily holding hands as they walked together over the petals. They were all together; His aunts Rosita and Victoria, Twin uncles Felipe and Oscar, great grandfather Julio, mamá Imelda, and the newest addition, his mamá Coco and...

"Hector...?" Miguel barely whispered.

Miguel's look of surprise swiftly turned into one of sheer glee, a wide grin spread across his transparent face. So he  _had_ made it on time! Hector was still there, and most importantly, he finally got to see his daughter Coco. To say that Miguel was relieved was a gross understatement, just...seeing them all together, as a proper family now...

"Hey guys!" Miguel shouted out to them, waving his arms enthusiastically at them. All eight of them looked at him in complete shock, which Miguel wasn't surprised at.

_'_ _¡Ay, Dios_ _mío_ _..._ _How am I_ _gonna_ _explain this to them...?'_  Miguel thought as his smile strained into a cringed grin. They didn't look happy, especially Imelda.

Deciding to push that worry to the side for now, Miguel ran forward to greet them. 

Only for a force to push him right back onto the ground. Miguel roughly landed with a grunt, before looking back up at what had propelled him back. But there was nothing there.

Why couldn't he...?

"You can't go through to the other side, chamaco. You're stuck here."

Miguel looked up over his shoulder, the strange lady from before looked down at him with an air of smugness about her. Concerned cries of his name sounded out in the distance, but he didn't look away.

"What...what do you mean? How is this...? What i _s_ this?" He tried to keep his emotions under check as he didn't want to give away that he was pretty much scared out of his wit's end at this point, but a small catch in his voice instantly gave it away.

"You're not alive, but you're not dead either." She calmly explained, her expression unreadable.

Before Miguel could eve respond, his family came running down the slope of the bridge and crowded around him, their skeletal faces showing either showing concern or confusion, Imelda was the only one who held a hint of anger in both her face and her voice. 

Everyone had started asking him questions, not waiting for anyone to finish, resulting in their voices meshing together into mindless noise. Miguel couldn’t make out a thing they were saying and could only wordlessly look up at them from his position on the ground.

His head was pounding.

The only two who had kept quiet and stayed back a bit since they arrived were Hector and Coco, they both knew that they weren't going to get a word in with everyone talking over each other. They each gave the other a look and frowned as they began to notice Miguel's distress, Coco gave her father a nod, giving him a silent go-ahead to finally intervene in the situation.

"Hey, c'mon now everyone, calm down..." Hector softly started as he gently pushed a gap in-between Imelda and Felipe, the former giving him a small glare. "Let's give Miguel some space to breathe and a chance to explain, eh?" With that, he held his bony hand out to Miguel, in an offer to help him back up onto his feet.

Instead of taking it, the boy simply stared at it for a moment before his eyes flickered up to look at his great-great grandfather, who simply smiled back reassuringly as he gestured again. Miguel desperately wanted to just shoot up and hug him, hug all of them, tell them that he was so glad to see them again. But a big part of him already knew that it was impossible, considering what had happened back with the other skeleton.

But he still held that small glimmer of hope, and with it, he tentatively reached out.

But just as he suspected, his hand phased completely through Hector's, and as it did, he could feel his heart sinking lower and lower.

Hector's smile slowly dropped into a frown of concern and surprise, as he pulled back his hand to look at it, before turning his attention back to Miguel, who was trying to avert his gaze in embarrassment. 

"M-Mijo...?" Hector gingerly asked.

The whole family had dropped into silence, looking either bewildered or worried, most likely both. Soft murmurings sounded out from all around them as skeletons passed by the group as they came to and from the bridge, looking intrigued as to what was going on but knowing better than to interfere.

All except for one.

"He can't physically interact with the living  _or_ the dead." A familiar voice spoke up.

The whole family broke up their formation around Miguel and stood together to observe the intruder, while Miguel simply looked up, frowning. Had that lady just been standing there the entire time?

Imelda was instantly on the defensive as she narrowed her eyes at the transparent woman, looking her up and down before asking in a demanding tone, "Who are you?"

"He's stuck in a separate plane of existence altogether, and not one he should wish to stay in." She said, crossing her arms.

Hector frowned, "Hey, you... you didn't answer her question-"  

"You can't help him." The woman bluntly interrupted, forcing them all into shocked silence. Her lips curled up into a smile.

"But I might be able to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey! Just a quick note to say thanks a bunch for all of the lovely comments and support, and just on the first chapter! You're all stars. :3
> 
> Also I'm very active on Tumblr so be sure to give me a follow and feel free to message me through the ask box if you have any questions or just want some chit-chat! Here's a link to my blog, just copy and paste into the search bar ~ https://nyrandrea.tumblr.com/
> 
> Also as college work is ramping up, I'm only going to be able to work on this in any spare time I have (which won't be a lot) but I'll still work very hard and try and get chapters out as frequently as I can!
> 
> So let me know what y'all think!

**Author's Note:**

> Cliffhanger! *Dun dun dun*
> 
> I absolutely /adored/ Coco and have been wanting to write something for a while so...hey let me know what y'all thought of the first chapter of what should be...quite a ride!


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